The current Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) represents a breakthrough in rocket launchers. The latest version of the SMAW manifests a wide variety of improvements designed with improving the operability of the weapon by a single person. Decreases in weapon weight, the movement of the spotting rifle from a side mounted to a bottom-mounted design, and improvements in the sighting and targeting mechanisms have been disclosed in earlier applications. Alone, these improvements have effectively reduced the need for a second person to assist the weapon's primary operator during weapon aiming and firing. However, the methods used in the prior art for attachment of the rocket still represent problems for the efficient use of the new SMAW weapon.
In the prior art, the rocket is enclosed within a separate canister which is connected to the launcher at the time of firing. When the rocket canister is attached, the weapon is at full length, and, due to the bulkiness and length of the barrel, is not maneuverable. One particular problem is that the size of the weapon prevents its easy transport by personnel moving from site to site. In order to move quickly, the weapon must be disassembled and transported in an unloaded fashion. In addition to time lost to unload and reload the rocket, a further disadvantage to this system occurs when hostile forces are encountered during movement. The rocket launcher is not ready for firing. Crucial time must be spent re-connecting the rocket pack to the launcher; time during which the launcher operator is vulnerable to assault by the hostile forces.
In order to remedy these problems, the new SMAW weapon uses a tube within a tube design. This design provides that the launch tube is made up in two sections of a smaller diameter firing tube and a larger diameter rocket tube. The rocket can be attached to the firing tube, and then simply slid into the firing tube for transport. When the need to fire arises, the rocket tube is slid back out from the firing tube and locked in position in a matter of seconds. The use of the tube within a tube design, however, introduces an important obstacle. The diameter of the two tubes must be different. Specifically, the diameter of the rocket tube is correctly sized to the rocket, but the diameter of the firing tube is much larger. During launch, the rocket has not yet gained sufficient velocity to allow for the rocket to stabilize itself by the time the wider tube is entered. The forward end of the rocket is able to tip down or wobble within the rocket tube. This wobble causes several problem effects, including a dramatic reduction in accuracy, possible tumbling of the rocket, and early impact and detonation of the rocket. These effects reduce the combat effectiveness of the weapon and create a safety hazard for the launcher operator.
Prior efforts have been made to provide stabilizers for substantially smaller rockets within a single weapons system. These attempts have been directed towards the use of multiple different caliber weapons within a single tube of constant diameter. A means for stabilizing a rocket in launch tube with multiple bore diameters is needed.